


To Change Fate

by NekoMajo



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Deja Vu, Gen, Slight Canon Divergence, parallel worlds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:39:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5273390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoMajo/pseuds/NekoMajo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'They say that there are no false memories... if it's something you remember, then it must have happened. If not here then perhaps in a different world.' </p><p>He'd heard of it before from several people, however, he never really thought about the possibilities of it being true. The idea of there being numerous parallel worlds moving along side each other always seemed a little too far out there for his taste.</p><p>However now, Zack couldn't help but think about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Change Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this idea just popped into my head a while ago, after I binge-watched seasons 1 and 2 of Higurashi. I liked the idea of characters being sent back to a time and try to do things over again. (Also ironically like re-starting a game I suppose) I also think it would be interesting to see how Zack's character would deal with this scenario. I'm not sure how I'll continue this story, so I may add more at a later point. Hope you enjoy.

_Since the first moment he stepped foot in Nibelheim, he felt it. It was like being stuck in a constant state of Déjà vu. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake the uneasiness._

_He could clearly picture the night before everything went to hell in a hand basket. Cloud had invited him to his mother's for dinner, and the whole evening was a welcomed change from the stressful situation with Sephiroth. But no matter how much he was enjoying himself, he wasn't able to rid himself of the almost painful cringe in the pit of his stomach._

_It all happened exactly how he thought it would, yet he tried to fight it every step of the way._

_Racing to the reactor, he ignored the voice in his head that told him it was pointless to confront Sephiroth. The man was beyond reason now. But again he discarded the warning that his intuition was telling him, refusing to believe that he couldn't fight back and stop this whole mess. Even when he lay defeated on the cold metal stairwell, he still would not submit to this fate._

_The Déjà vu returned again when Cloud had appeared and managed to wound Sephiroth while he was distracted. "Cloud, finish him off!" He couldn't even stop the words as they came out of his mouth. Even though he knew the long term outcome, he still couldn't stop himself from saying it._

_Cloud managed to defeat Sephiroth, just like he knew his friend would, exactly as he had dreamed it nights before. He hated it. He'd never had this kind of ability before this mission, so why and how was he able to predict things now? What was the point if he couldn't change anything?_

_Zack stared at the darkening sky as he lay on a riverbank, relishing in a rare moment of peace. It had been a few months since he escaped from the Shinra Mansion with Cloud and the whole thing just kept playing over and over in his head. He could pick out each moment that felt familiar, like he'd seen it all before, and where he could have done something different._

_He could have kept his mouth shut when they discovered the monsters in the reactor. "You said 'average' member... what about you?" he cringed at the memory. Had he not said those words, then perhaps Sephiroth wouldn't have doubted himself and believed what Genesis had told him after that._

_He could have contacted Tseng or Cissnei and asked the Turks to intervene when the rouge SOLDIER had shown up, but he didn't. He could have evacuated the village at the first signs of Sephiroth's strange behaviour, but he didn't. He could have told Cloud to take Tifa and run from the reactor instead of fighting him. But he didn't. He could have listened to his instincts from the start and prevented everything._

_But he didn't!_

_"Shit!" Zack swore loudly, breaking the calm silence as he kicked his foot harshly on the grassy hill beneath him. The warm body beside him flinch at the sudden noise and movement, "Sorry Cloud." the ex-SOLDIER apologised with a sigh, seeing the blond's eyes wide open._

_"Did I wake you?" Zack asked after a moment, gently touching the spiky blond hair and watching intently for a response. To his disappointment, the lifeless blue eyes just stared blanking at him, before slowly closing again._

_Letting out another sigh the older man, relaxed again and began planning their next move. He always tried to think as far ahead as he could, he didn't want to leave anything to chance. But of course his mind soon wandered back to Nibelheim._

_Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he never had any Déjà vu or premonitions in his dreams. It could just be that things looked more obvious from his perspective now and he was just over thinking it. If he wanted to keep himself and Cloud safe, he would have to push these weird thoughts aside and focus on survival._

_However, the closer they got to Midgar, those same feeling slowly returned..._

_Things became familiar to him, so much that he knew his way around places that he'd never been before. This made it easier for him to avoid detection, but it left him paranoid and with an impending sense of dread._

_Like back then, he soon began to have a reoccurring dream every few nights, each time gradually becoming more clear. He was staring up at a dark grey sky, heavy rain pouring down on him as he lay flat on the ground. Eventually someone comes into his line of sight, leaning over him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the person out, or hear what they were saying._

_As before, he found himself trying to ignore these feelings, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. He kept telling himself that if they could just make it to Midgar, everything would be fine. Yet even as he sees the city on the horizon, that little twisting feeling in his gut would just not go away._

_Soon he was making his final stand against the entire Shinra army and his only way to freedom was to fight for it. He couldn't say he was surprised when he lay wounded in the dirt, and staring up as it began to rain. He was far too stubborn for his own good. Perhaps if he could do things over, maybe he would trust his instincts more._

_But right now wasn't the time for regrets. Despite the things he could have done differently, it was enough that he had fought hard to earn his freedom and protect Cloud._

_Cloud..._

_Just as he thought of his blond friend, he saw him appear over him, finally awake. It was nice to see him actually looking back, his eyes full of life again. Cloud was tough, so he would probably be alright now... or so he told himself._

_With the last of his strength, Zack passed on his sword to his friend before everything went dark. It wasn't as bad as he'd originally thought it would be, kind of like falling into a deep sleep. A warm feeling spread through his body and he felt like there was a light over him._

_Slowly opening his eyes, he saw him. Angeal. With a smile, he reached up and took his former mentor's hand, his body lifting from the ground. It was nice to finally rest, after all that hardship._

_However, just as the world faded away, he suddenly felt himself being pulled back down, like he was falling from a great height. As he had tried to hold onto Angeal's hand, his grip when slack and he immediately slipped away._

"Zack."

The teenager jolted up right when he heard his name called. His eyes scanned the truck, and landed on Cloud, who was fiddling with his gloves, "We're here..." he said quietly with a frown.

"Oh right..." the first class nodded and got up, looking a little sheepish. It wasn't like him to fall asleep, especially when heading out on a mission. After exiting the truck he saw Sephiroth waiting for them.

Once the group was assembled, they made their way towards the entrance of the mountain village. Zack smiled to himself as he looked around, "So this is where Cloud's from..." he wondered what new things he would learn about the cute little cadet from this place. As he neared the gate however, his expression dropped a little when a strange feeling overcame him.

It was as if he'd forgotten something... something important.

Zack thought for several seconds on what it could be, listing off everything in his head that he may have left in the truck or back home, but nothing was missing. Sephiroth stopped just a few feet ahead of him and turned, speaking out to Cloud. As soon as he heard his voice, a chill ran up his spine when he was hit with an extreme case of Déjà vu...


End file.
